Which Kitchen Flooring Is Right For Your Remodeling Project?

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Read The Pros and Cons of Kitchen Flooring Materials

The kitchen s not only the heart of your home; it's the hardest-working room in your house! It pretty much receives foot traffic all day long, whether it's when your preparing meals, the kids are passing through to grab snacks, or everyone is gathered around the island catching up on the news of the day! 

Picking the ideal kitchen flooring is an important decision. After all, you and your family spend so much time in the kitchen, and most of it is on your feet, so it's important to make the right choice. Your kitchen flooring is not only an investment in your home's beauty and functionality, but it's also an investment in your well-being. 

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Ideally, you want your kitchen to be a warm and inviting space that is beautiful, comfortable, and fun to spend time in, and that starts with the remodeling decisions you make, including your choice of flooring!

In this post, we're going to take a look at what you should look for when choosing a kitchen flooring material, as well as the pros and cons of some of the most popular kitchen flooring materials.

What to Look For in Kitchen Flooring

As much as we'd love it if every flooring material offered durability, value, and longevity, the fact is, every material has its pros and cons. As a general rule, when researching your kitchen flooring, seek out materials that offer:

Durability

Your kitchen flooring has to perform under the harshest conditions, from a dropped jar of spaghetti sauce to the post-soccer practice rush for snacks. Your kitchen floor needs to stand up to heavy use every day, for years!

Affordability

Flooring doesn't have to break the bank! There are plenty of options that are beautiful and affordable.

Easy Cleaning and Low Maintenance

Kitchen floors get thoroughly dirty, often. Cleaning them should be fast and require little effort.

Aesthetic Beauty

Chances are your family and guests will be looking at your kitchen floor and going to be living with it for a long time. Make sure you choose something that you love and will still find attractive for the long-haul.

If you're planning a kitchen remodel or are already in progress and it's time to choose your flooring, knowing the most popular flooring choices' strengths and weaknesses can help you select the best material to meet your needs and lifestyle. 

The Most Popular Kitchen Flooring Materials

Choosing the right flooring to meet your lifestyle and aesthetic needs is an important decision when planning your kitchen remodel. Now that you have an idea of the features to look for when choosing, let's take a look at the pros and cons of some of the most popular kitchen flooring choices among homeowners and designers.

Ceramic Tile Flooring

light colored ceramic tile with white cabinets

while declining in popularity compared to luxury vinyl tile, real ceramic tile can last a lifetime in your home, and done right, will survive remodeling trends as well!

Ceramic tile is a classic choice that offers excellent durability. It is easy to clean up, and you can choose a tile design that can speak to your personal style from the hundreds of patterns, textures, and shapes available. Today, modern printing technology can create ceramic and porcelain tiles that mimic natural materials like travertine, marble, or wood. 

Ceramic and porcelain tile price run the gamut, starting as low as $2 a square foot to $14 or more. Make sure to seal the grout well to avoid staining. A durable kitchen flooring option, ceramic tile can take about anything you can dish out. However, on the downside, it's hard and can be tiring to stand on for extended periods, so you might want to consider rugs or mats in key places like in front of the sink or frequently used prep areas. Additionally, if it has a smooth surface, it can become slippery when wet and create a hazard for older homeowners. 

Hardwood Flooring

solid oak site finished kitchen flooring

when it comes to long term durability, it’s hard to beat a site finished solid hardwood floor. this 1970’s floor was patched in, added on to with new wood, and refinished in the 2010’s and looks as good as brand new again!

Hardwood flooring is another classic choice, especially if you live in an older home. They're warm, cozy, and can take a ton of daily traffic without showing a lot of wear. Plus, they're easy to clean up with a mop and some cleaning solution. Almost everyone loves hardwood, and they can add a tone of resale value. Other flooring comes close but can never match the natural beauty of the wood. They can also be refinished and last, literally, for centuries!

If you're looking for a low-maintenance kitchen, hardwood might not be the best choice. They can scratch more easily than other materials and are a bit more challenging to clean. If they are exposed to moisture over a long period, they can warp or buckle. Another downside to consider is the price. Quality hardwood flooring starts at around $4 and can cost $12 or more per square foot.

Bamboo Flooring

Bamboo has been growing in popularity with homeowners thanks to the range of colors and styles available. On the durability scale, it's actually more durable than hardwood. On the plus side, bamboo is a renewable resource, making it a great choice if you're trying to live more sustainably. Also, bamboo tends to resist moisture and stains, and most are easy to refinish if necessary.

On the downside, engineered bamboo can be difficult to refinish, and if your kitchen has big swings in temperature and humidity, your bamboo flooring could experience cracking. 

Cork Flooring

If you don't want to deal with fatigue from standing on hard tile flooring, try cork flooring in the kitchen. Like bamboo, cork is a “green” product as it's renewable, and the soft, spongy texture feels great on older feet and legs! Cork typically comes in tiles that are made from the shed bark of the cork oak. It's naturally resistant to mold and mildew, so it's great if you have allergy-sufferers in the house. Two other major pluses are its ability to absorb noise (great for an open floor plan!) and its natural warmth.

On the downside, cork flooring needs regular sealing and it's hardness. While it's somewhat durable – about the same as hardwood, it can be damaged by a lot of heavy foot (or paw) traffic or by heavy furniture or appliances. It gets “soft scratches” and dents in it, as opposed to the harder scratches of wood floor. Cork is great if you’re on your feet a lot, and it also feels warm when you are barefoot. (For this reason it can be great in a basement, too!)

Travertine

Another timeless choice, travertine, comes in many varieties, including honed, tumbled, chiseled, filled, and polished. It has a broad appeal to buyers thanks to its durability. It's much harder to chip or scratch natural stone than ceramic tile or hardwood. Tumbled travertine is slip-resistant because of the texture, and when properly cared for, it can last for decades!

While travertine may not scratch, it will stain. Like any natural stone, travertine is porous and can be affected by acidic materials like lemon juice, and is prone to staining, so be extra careful with that red wine! Natural stone also requires more upkeep than other types of flooring. You will need to seal it every one to two years to protect its porous surface. A good travertine floor can be expensive, so you'll need to budget accordingly. It’s rarely used in Wisconsin.

Laminate Flooring

If you want hardwood flooring, but your budget won't allow it, consider a laminate floor. Laminate is relatively inexpensive and offers a good bang for the buck. It's cheaper than hardwood and provides superior scratch resistance. It is available in a variety of realistic wood finishes. Another benefit is that with its click-and-lock floating installation system, it's easy and fast to install.

However, laminate does have a few drawbacks. It doesn't handle moisture nearly as well as tile or vinyl, and it can warp when wet. Installing it in the kitchen can make upkeep a challenge. If you do use it in the kitchen, make sure to use a moisture barrier. It also requires a special cleaner and mop to keep it clean. Laminate also doesn't have the lifespan that hardwood or tile offers.

white kitchen with dark luxury vinyl plan wood floor

luxury vinyl plank is a kid-friendly and pet-friendly kitchen flooring choice.

Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl flooring comes in three forms; vinyl plank, vinyl tile, and sheet vinyl. It has several installation methods and includes peel and stick, glue down, and click and lock. I can mimic wood or stone. Unlike tile, vinyl will not chip, and unlike laminate, vinyl can handle moisture. It's is durable and does not scratch easily. Like cork, it's soft on your feet, and it's easy to install and affordable.

While it does vary by market, many homebuyers prefer other materials like hardwood or tile over vinyl. That being said, high-end luxury vinyl plank and tile products are growing in popularity; however, they can be costly. 

The Bottom Line On Kitchen Flooring

When remodeling your kitchen, one of the most important decisions you'll make is your flooring. It needs to be durable to stand up to the rigors of daily use, comfortable to walk or stand on for extended periods of time, and aesthetically beautiful. 

Every material has positives and negatives. It all comes down to choosing a material that checks off most of your boxes, fits within your budget, and meets your needs. These popular materials are all excellent choices for your kitchen flooring. If you're still unsure, work with your designer or design-build contractor. They can help you understand all of your flooring options and help you make the best choice to meet your lifestyle and functional needs.

If you're planning a kitchen remodeling project and you live in the greater Madison, Wisconsin area, why not give the design experts at Degnan Design-Build-Remodel a call at (608) 846-5963. We're here and always happy to answer your home improvement and remodeling questions. Let us help you create your dream kitchen, right down to choosing the perfect kitchen flooring!

This article was updated by Abe Degnan on 9/14/2022.